Strasbourg, 30.11.2010 - A delegation of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) visited Italy from 21 to 26 November 2010 as the first step in the preparation of a monitoring report. During its visit, ECRI’s delegation gathered information on the implementation of the recommendations it made to the authorities in its previous report of 2006 and discussed new issues that had emerged since.

The delegation held meetings in Rome, Venice, Padua and Naples with representatives of all relevant ministries, public officials, human rights NGOs and minority groups.

Following this visit, ECRI will adopt a report in which it will make a fresh set of recommendations on measures to be taken by the authorities to address racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, antisemitism and intolerance in the country. Among these, three will be revisited two years after the publication of the report as part of an interim follow-up procedure.

In its 2006 report, ECRI expressed concern about the use of racist and xenophobic discourse in politics, targeting in particular non-EU citizens, Roma, Sinti and Muslims. It also found that immigration legislation had made the situation of many non-EU citizens more precarious, and its implementation had resulted in the exposure of some to a higher risk of human rights violations.

In the same report, ECRI expressed concern over the marginalisation and practical segregation from the rest of Italian society experienced by Roma and Sinti, as well as the prejudice and discrimination across a wide range of areas that they faced. It also noted the lack of political support for protection of individuals against incitement to racial violence and discrimination. According to ECRI, this had increased the vulnerability to racism and racial discrimination of the members of several groups coming within its mandate.

ECRI is a human rights body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts, which monitors problems of racism and intolerance, prepares reports and issues recommendations to member states. For more information on ECRI: www.coe.int/ecri